Up to 350 prostate tests will be offered to spectators at the Vitality Blast T20 fixture between Lancashire and Notts Outlaws on Father’s Day, after our local cricket club’s Foundation joined forces with two charities – the Barry Kilby Prostate Cancer Appeal and the Bob Willis Fund, in memory of the former England captain and popular Sky Sports broadcaster.
A healthy 66-year-old when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2016, Willis lost his battle against the disease in December 2019. His wife, Lauren Clark, and brother, David Willis, have launched a fund to support critical research into the disease, with the hope that a nationally accessible, accurate screening programme may be introduced to save the lives of many men in the future.
Commenting on the joint initiative, Lauren Clark, said:
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction since launching Bob’s fund and it is already having a huge impact by shining a light on this devasting disease and raising valuable funds.
“We can never accept Bob was taken so young, but we knew we had to use his legacy to try and prevent other families from suffering like we are. More than 11,500 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year – that’s one man every 45 minutes.
